FILM & Tour Blog

After a rough start for his first few shows in Mumbai for the Pajama Festival, Tushar had a solid mix of ups and downs for the next 5 shows (2 more in Mumbai, 3 in Bangalore). In fact, the only thing we can be sure will bomb over here is the WiFi. After 3 open micers went up at Three Wisemen Bar in Mumbai, Tushar came on as the headliner and really got the crowd going, especially with a bit of crowdwork thanks to an intimate dive bar space. His set in Pune (an otherwise overall unimpressive town) at an open-air venue called High Spirits (pictured above) for about 200 people also went pretty well.

We were also fortunate enough to have Tushar interview Vir Das, India's father of stand-up comedy, the creator of the Weirdass (pronounce it with an Indian accent... "Viiiiirdasss") Pajama Festival, and minor league Bollywood star. They talked at length about the stand-up scene in India, where it might be headed, and Vir Das offered Tushar advice for connecting with Indian audiences.

The last 3 days of January we spent in Goa, a popular beach resort destination, where Tushar emceed a wedding reception for his Indian-American Chicago relatives. The wedding was a grand production, complete with colorful decor, outdoor buffet, and dancers, but we could all sense Tushar's flustration at somewhat unexpected logistical duties. Don't worry, Tushar, someday it will be you way up high, awkwardly straddling that elephant amongst all your friends and relatives at 8am, leaving all your worries behind, in a mighty trail of dung.

We're now on our 5th day in Bangalore, staying with Tushar's comedian friend Sanjay Manaktala. So far, Tushar has performed here on a show, two open mics, and at the cancer ward of a local hospital for a "Because Laughter is the Best Medicine" show to raise the spirits of cancer patients and doctors there. Every show has been a different challenge for Tushar based on the audience and venue, and he's both been experimenting with some new material, and reverting to the tried (tired?) and true material he knows works in LA.

After 3 more shows here in Bangalore, we head back to Mumbai for a week, and then back to Delhi for a another week, both full of shows. Keep up with our trip photos, clips of Tushar's sets, and other funny production bits on our Facebook or Instagram daily!